To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund was used to support a visit by the Chief of Police of Bahrain to Belfast to learn about how the Police Service of Northern Ireland manages public order issues.

The Bahraini Chief of Police, Major General Tariq Al Hassan, visited Northern Ireland in June 2014 to observe and discuss the range of reforms to policing undertaken in Northern Ireland. The visit was funded from the Conflict Pool.

A small delegation of Bahrain police officers subsequently visited Northern Ireland for a week in August 2015 to observe globally recognised best practice in human rights compliant public order policing. This visit was funded from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

The UK continues to support Bahraini-led reform through a package of technical assistance. We believe it is not good enough to criticise countries from the sidelines. Only by working with Bahrain can we bring about the changes we would like to see in the country. Any assistance delivered by or on behalf of the UK Government complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations.